Saturday, January 15, 2011

A Grove of Green Men

photo 
The Green Man

I walked among the trees
I wore the mask of the deer

(remember me, try to remember)

I am that laughing man
with eyes like leaves

When you think that winter
will never end

I will come. 

You'll  feel my breath, warm at your neck.
I will rise in the grass, a vine caressing your foot.

I am the blue eye
   of a crocus
  opening in the snow

  a trickle of water,
  a calling bird,
  a shaft of light
  among the trees.

You will hear me singing
among the green groves of memory,
the shining leaves of tomorrow.

I'll come with daisies in my hands,

we'll dance among the sycamores
once more

(1997)


I'm not sure why, but I've felt a compulsion lately to make Green Men masks.  I've made, probably, thousands of Green Men masks in the past 30 years.  I guess that's my claim to fame - I've helped to populate the world with masked Green Men.  It's a messy job, but someone had to do it.  Some of my masks have been copied so many times by other mask makers that I'm practically generic.


The Green Man is such a potent, positive symbol of the renewal of life.  In the company of the Green Man ** one finds the male as healer and renewer, instead of warrior............and a pretty darn good symbol for our time as well.  May we all find ways to dance with the Green Man!
 The Green Man by sculptor Toin Adams




6 comments:

Valerianna said...

I love that sculpture by Toin Adams, and your writing. A life-afirming, regenerative image/energy to balance the intensity of the last few posts!

Turning towards the light here, but buried in 26 inches of new snow on top of a foot from before. Winter wonderland with snow crystals sparkling in the bright sunshine today. Winter wonderland!

Trish and Rob MacGregor said...

I love these green masks!!

Gail said...

The mask are lovely and so is the allusion to a man of renewell instead of destruction. I have a green man candle on my alter to balance Brigid. Blessed Be!!! Gail

Lauren Raine said...

May the spirit of the Green Man be with all of us!

Margaret said...

Stunning masks!

I have begun reading your blog from the beginning.
It is truly inspiring to read your journey.

Lauren Raine said...

Thanks! I think the Green Man is a significant "force" to invoke. I especially love the old images of the Green Man "expurging", foliage emerging from mouth, nose, eyes often - here is the idea of an intelligence behind the emergence of life, a mind within the forest, a huge abundant life that issues forth from the Green Man when the time is ripe. Such an image of hope!